Uti causes

Even though urinary tract infection is pretty common in men, women and children, there are some categories of people, who are much more predisposed to having a UTI. Let us take a look at some risk factors and on some biological characteristics that make some people more vulnerable to infections in urinary tract than others.

– Women

According to medical science data women are much more predisposed to get infected, then men. Such state of things is conditioned by the differences in urinary tract characteristics of men and women.

Women are much more predisposed to having uti

Women have much shorter urethra. Male urethra reaches up to 8 inches on average, while female urethra is only about 1,5 inches long. This allows bacteria to enter bladder and other urinary tract organs more easily and cause inflammation there.

Moreover, oftenly women get self infected with urinary tract infections. This may be caused by improper hygiene. If faecal bacteria get into genitals and urinary tract organs, they start multiplying there and cause inflammation.

Another way women oftenly get infected with UTIs is through sex. Frequent change of sexual partners exposes their genitals and urinary tracts to new flora, which eventually causes inflammation.

– Men with prostate diseases

Prostate is an important immune system organ for men, which produces a certain liquid used by their bodies to prevent infections. This liquid slows down bacteria growth in urethra. However, if prostate malfunctions or gets enlarged, it may lead to urinary tract infection. Being enlarged, prostate causes pressure on the urethra. It hardens the process of urinating. This prevents the urethra from being flushed properly and allows bacteria to freely multiply in it.

Thus, an urinary infection in men may be a sign of more complicated health problems, such as enlarged prostate or even prostate cancer.

– Children (especially girls)

Children are also commonly predisposed to developing urinary tract infections. In little girls such infections may be caused by improper hygiene. With the invention of disposable diapers UTIs in girls has ceased to be such a problem. Still, mothers need to learn the basic rules of hygiene for girls and teach girls these rules from the very early age.

Again, getting infected with faecal bacteria is the most common cause of urinary tract infections in girls. Such a simple thing as wiping from front to back may greatly reduce the risks of developing UTIs in girls and women.

– People with frequent change of sexual partners

This is one of the most common ways to catch an infection for adults (both men and women). Every time you change your sexual partner, you get exposed to new and potentially pathogenic flora of your new partner. That is why many women experience recurring symptoms of urinary tract infection after the intercourse.

As you may see, there are certain groups of people, who are more predisposed to developing a UTI, than others. Knowing these facts may help you to prevent getting these infections.

Urinary tract infections are pretty common in adults of both genders. Still, women are more subjected to having these infections. So, how do you get a urinary tract infection? Let us see some of the ways you can ‘catch’ it.

A UTI can develop in any part of your urinary tract, including kidneys, bladder, ureters, or urethra. The lower part of the urinary tract consists of the bladder and urethra. That is where most UTIs find their home. From there they may go all the way up into kidney and evoke serious and even life threatening infection. Most UTIs are caused by certain pathogenic bacteria. There is a great number of different kinds of bacteria, which can evoke UTI. But, the majority of them is evoked by Escherichia coli bacteria. These bacteria get into the urinary tract from its lower end or from the urethra.

But, how do you get a urinary tract infection?

You may get infected from your sexual partner during the intercourse. That is when you get exposed to the new flora for your body. If the number of bacteria is insignificant, they do not cause any problems. But, once they start multiplying, they cause inflammation and infection.

So, most UTI causes are based on sexually transmitted bacteria. This means, you have to treat both partners in order to prevent reoccurring urinary infection.

Another way to get infected with a UTI is through various medical manipulations in your urinary tract. That is another case, when you potentially get exposed to pathogenic flower and may get infected. This is true for men, too. There are high chances of catching a bacteria, if you undergo catheter being inserted into your urinary tract.

So, who is more at risk of getting a urinary infection? According to medical statistic women are more at risk of developing urinary tract infections. Such state of things is caused by their body structure and by the shorter urethra in particular. This means, bacteria have shorter distance to go to get your bladder infected. Still, most UTI in women are easily treatable and do not produce any negative health consequences. In men, urinary tract disorders may signify of more complicated health problems, such as prostate disease. Prostate takes active part in preventing infections in men, as it produces special liquid, which keeps down bacteria growth in the urinary tract.

There are also many factors, which increase your chances of developing an infection. Using chemical washing supplies is one of them. Such supplies easily get into your urinary tract and cause irritation there. This eventually may lead to inflammation and a UTI.
As you may see, there are several answers to how do you get a urinary tract infection question. Still, there are many things you can do to prevent UTI and minimize the risks of getting it.

Urinary tract infection is a common condition both for adult men and women. Even children can get infected in the earliest days of their lives. So, let us take a look at what it is, what it is caused by and who suffers from it the most. We’ll start with answer to the question “what is UTI?”

Urinary tract includes such organs, as urethra, bladder and kidneys. Most commonly, UTI develops in either urethra or bladder. If left untreated, it may go up all the way into the kidneys and cause more severe infection and health condition.

Personal hygiene protects you from getting uti

What are some of the UTI causes?

The major cause is bacteria. There are many different bacteria and fungi, which may cause inflammation in your urinary tract. However, the bacteria called E. coli is the most frequent cause for a UTI. These bacteria may peacefully dwell in your urinary tract not causing any infections, until they start sticking up together with other bacteria and to the urinary tract walls. Then they start multiplying and cause inflammation.

However, there are many other causes or risk factors for urinary infections. One of them is your hygiene. Both the lack of hygiene or too much of hygiene can lead to inflammation and pain. Genitals hygiene is a special point with women, who suffer much more from UTI, than men. One of the right ways to maintain hygiene is to wipe from the front and to the back. Fecal bacteria may easily cause different infections, including those in urinary tract. In fact, this is one of the major reasons for children to get UTIs. That is why you need to train your baby girls to learn to wipe from front to back, avoiding getting infected themselves and preventing infection. By understanding what is uti and what are basic rules to prevent its appearance you can protect yourself and your family.

Talking of too much hygiene, you should know that various OTC washing products, such as soaps, washes, shower gels, bubbles, etc,. may become another one of uti causes. They may cause severe irritation in your urinary tract and lead to infection and inflammation. So, you have to carefully pick your hygiene products.

Frequent change of sexual partners may also be a cause for an infection in urinary tract. Changing your partner, you also change the flora you got accustomed to. You introduce new flora to your urinary tract and this may lead to infection, especially in women.

As you may see, women are much more subjected to having infection, than men. This is conditioned by their physiological characteristics. However, in most cases, UTI in women are easy to treat and they do not cause any complications for the health. On the contrary, UTI in men may be the signs of more severe diseases, such as prostate inflammation or even cancer. In any case, learning what is UTI can help you to diagnose and treat it timely.

UTI or urinary tract infections are pretty common in men, women and even in children. These are the infections we develop mainly in the lower urinary tract organs. So, is UTI contagious? Let us look up the answers to this question.

To answer, we have to learn what urinary infections are and what causes them. UTI infections we get in our urinary tract. This tract consists of urethra, bladder, ureters and kidneys. Most of the inflammations people get are in the lower part of the urinary tract, which means that you get them in your urethra and bladder. Urethra infection is mainly called cystitis.

Now, what are UTI causes? This is another thing to understand, before we can answer the question is UTI contagious. Most infections in urinary tract are caused by various bacterial E. coli. However, other bacteria or their combinations can also penetrate in urinary tract and cause pain and irritation.

These bacteria get stuck to each other or to the urinary tract walls and start multiplying. Their live processes cause irritation and inflammation in the urinary tract. But, how do we get these bacteria? Good question. They all come from outside. This means, they have to come in contact and enter the urinary tract. And, this also means that urinary tract infections can be contagious.

The majority of these bacteria can be transmitted from person to person. Most of them can be sexually transmitted. This means, every time you get a new sex partner, you get exposed to his or her urinary tract flora (i.e. bacteria). And, that is how you get infected.

However, sex is not the only way to get an infection in your urinary tract. Since even children can get UTIs, there are other ways to get infected with these bacteria. You may get them during various medical treatments done on your urinary tract or genitals. You may also get them from your own body. This means if you do not maintain proper hygiene, you can infect your urinary tract with pathogens from your own fecal. That is true especially for women. And that is why there is a great need to train girls the rules of proper hygiene from the very early age.

Most people may contain pathogenic bacteria in their urinary tract. But not all of them develop UTI. This means, there are many factors, which affect us and make us more vulnerable. Drinking too little is one of them. If you do not supply your body with enough water, your urine becomes thick and irritates your urinary tract. Besides, it does not flush it well enough to wash away bad bacteria. They start multiplying and cause inflammation and pain.

So, is UTI contagious? Yes, it certainly is. But there are ways to avoid getting infected or to prevent developing it.

As many other types of infections, urinary tract infection may be caused by different bacteria. There are many other concomitant factors, which can increase your risks of developing UTI and make you more vulnerable to it. So, let us take a look at the 10 main UTI causes, you should know about.

10 main UTI causes:

1. Bacteria, called E. coli

These bacteria are responsible for the most cases of UTI. In fact, they may be causing up to 90 percent of all urinary tract infections. These bacteria may be dwelling in your urinary tract in small amounts. But this cannot cause you any harm. However, the problems start, when they begin to multiply and evoke irritation and inflammation in your urethra, bladder or kidneys.

2. Fungi

This is a different type of parasites, which may dwell in our bodies and cause various inflammatory processes, including UTI.

3. Sexually transmitted diseases

STDs may also cause UTI, especially in men. In fact, this is one of the reasons for men to take a UTI seriously and get examined by the doctor.

4. Unbalanced urine pH

If urine gets too alkaline, it provides bacteria with the perfect environment for multiplying and consequently causing UTI.

If you do not drink enough water or other liquids, your bladder stays mainly empty and your urinary tract gets rarely flushed by the urine. This allows bacteria there to multiply and cause infection.

6. Often change of sexual partners

This may cause recurring UTIs especially for women. You get new flora to deal with in your genitals and urinary tract after every new sexual partner. This may lead to burning sensations and pains during urination, as well as to other UTI symptoms.

7. Enlarged prostate in men

Enlarged prostate in men may cause urinary infections, as it makes urination more difficult and allows bacteria to multiply in the hardly flushed urinary tract.

8. Age

For men the risk of urinary infections highly increases with the age. This particularly concerns the men of over 60 years of age.

9. Gender

According to medical statistic, women tend to get UTI more frequently, than men. This is tightly related to the prostate conditions in men, too.

10. Using urinary catheters

Using urinary catheters may increase the risks of developing urinary tract infections, especially in men. The use of catheters may easily introduce the infection causing bacteria into urethra. Besides, this medical treatment irritates the urethra and makes it more vulnerable to infection.

Hopefully, understanding of these 10 main UTI causes may help you to avoid some of them and prevent the development of urinary tract infection. Or, at least they put you on your guard to be alert and know, when you need to seek medical help and UTI treatment.